By Ben Kerrigan-
Israel’s war with Palestine was escalating at a worrying pace war on Tuesday night after pummelling Gaza with missiles, killing an estimated people including nine children and a Hamas commander.
Israel confirmed 15 of the dead were militants, and its military sent reinforcements to the Gaza border and called up 5,000 reserves.
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Palestinian militants fired more than 250 rockets into Israel, killing two women in the city of Ashkelon.
Sirens warning of incoming rocket fire blared in Tel Aviv and central Israel last night.
Multiple explosions were also heard minutes after Gaza militants Hamas and Islamic Jihad vowed to respond to an Israeli air strike on a block of flats in the Strip and there were loud sirens of incoming rocket fire in Tel Aviv
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Hamas said it had fired 130 rockets towards Tel Aviv and its suburbs.
All flights at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport were stopped amid the continued fire from Gaza.
It came after clashes between police and Palestinians in Jerusalem sparked fears of the region’s first war since 2014, when 1,500 died.
As many as 700 Palestinians were injured, 500 of them hospitalised, in flare-ups across the city.
Israel has a weakened government, with Benjamin Netanyahu as a stand-in Prime Minister since inconclusive elections in March.
The outbreak of hostilities has led his political opponents to suspend negotiations on forming a coalition of right-wing, leftist and centre-left parties to unseat him.
Unpopular Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is also in a weakened position, with Hamas clamouring to position itself as the protector of Palestine.
It began during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and centred upon celebrations of Jerusalem Day – from Sunday into Monday – marking the 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict or Six Day War.
Palestinians were outraged by restricted movements to the Old City of Jerusalem where they gather for prayer during Ramadan.
Deep Concern
Today, British Johnson said he was “deeply concerned” by the violence and casualties and called for an urgent “de-escalation” of tensions.
The said: “I am urging Israel and the Palestinians to step back from the brink and for both sides to show restraint.“
The UK is deeply concerned by the growing violence and civilian casualties and we want to see an urgent de-escalation of tensions.”
It comes as Tor Wennesland, UN Special Envoy to the Middle East Peace Process, warned that Israel was heading “towards a full-scale war”.
He tweeted: “Stop the fire immediately. We’re escalating towards a full scale war. Leaders on all sides have to take the responsibility of de-escalation.
“The cost of war in Gaza is devastating and is being paid by ordinary people. UN is working with all sides to restore calm. Stop the violence now.”
The latest fighting was stoked by violent confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters at a major holy site and compounded by tensions over a plan to evict dozens of Palestinians from an East Jerusalem neighbourhood.
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